The Fighter
by I.Am.Sorta.Normal
Summary: No, this is not a songfic. This is about Percy Jackson, who has the dilemma of being in love with two girls at once. He's dating one of them, but the other, who he loves more, is dating his best friend Luke. As Percy would say, what's a senior guy to do? All Human, Altenate Universe, etc. T for kissing
1. Chapter 1

**A/N Hey world. Ash here. I'd like to thank you for taking the time to click on my story and reading it. I have no freaking idea what this story is about. And to Rick Rioridan: I love you...r work so much. So I have to steal your characters. Sorry, man, but your characters, who I love so much, are about to be screwed up beyond repair (by a sixteen year old girl with a fictional-character obsession). Thanks, Ricky! **

~ .

* * *

My name is Percy Jackson.

If I could give myself a middle name, it'd be something badass like Razor or Quince (that name is soooo badass). But my lovely, lovely mother (Sally Jackson) decided to make my middle name Paul. Just plain, old, boring Paul.

And then she goes and marries a guy named Paul. Huh, go figure.

Oh, you're wondering about my dad? I'd take your questions, but I can't answer them. I guess he was the sort of guy who sees a hot chick, has a one night stand, gets her preggers and then gets the hell out. My mom said they got married, but my dad's last name was most definitely not Jackson (it was some weird Greek name that I couldn't pronounce for my life). Mystery solved (aka my mom doesn't want to admit she had a one night stand with a stranger).

When she found out she was pregnant with yours truly, she quit her job as a bartender (that was how she met my dad in the first place). She'd had cravings for candy, wandered into Central Park Candy and has worked there ever since. She never needs to buy perfume because she always smells like sweets.

Anyways, my best friend Grover knows all about my life. I think he knows more about my family than I do. He was the one who told me my mom worked at a bar. When I'd asked him how he knew, he'd just shrugged and said, "My mom went to high school with your mom."

That's true, but why Grover's mom would tell him those things is beyond me.

Now that you know more or less about my background, I'd like to drag us to present day. It's a burning hot day in July, and Manhattan apartment complexes offer little means of shade at noon. There's not one cloud in the sky. It's times like this that I'm glad swimming is my sport.

I reach the Goode High pool and shrug out of my shirt. I jump into the pool and shiver. Compared to the outdoors, the water's freezing. A welcome feeling, but I'm grinding my teeth.

"Yo, Percy!"

I look down the pool and see my friend, star football player Luke Castellan sitting at the other end of the pool. His blonde hair is sticking up with sweat, and his face is grimy. I grin and swim over to him. "Rough practice?" I ask, shaking my head to get rid of the water in my hair.

He groans. "So...freaking...hot."

"I have an extra pair of trunks in my bag over there," I say, tilting my head towards the opposite wall. "Care to join me?"

He grins. "You're the man, Perce."

"You better hurry, you look like you're going to melt."

He walked over to the other end of the pool, having already ditched his gear by a bench. I did a couple of flips underwater, waiting for Luke to jump in. I felt the ripples of Luke's jump reach me, and I pop up seconds before he joins me.

"It's freaking cold!" he complains, shivering harder than I was. "So cold, but so good."

"Relax, it gets better," I say before pushing off the wall to start my daily fifty laps.

"Aw Percy, you're gonna swim laps?" Luke shouted, his deep voice echoing.

I paused at the other end. "I'm here to practice, not screw around," I told him, kicking off the wall to swim.

After fifty laps, I start screwing around. Luke and I race at least ten times; me being the victor all ten times. We messed around, had a splash fight and even tried to swim in synch (we failed miserably).

We were climbing out of the pool when Annabeth Chase walked in.

A bit on Annabeth Chase, before you meet this enemy of mine.

When I first saw her, I was ready to get down on one knee and ask her to the winter formal (ha, you thought I was going to say "propose", didn't you?). Her honey blonde curls wreathed her face perfectly, and her stormy grey eyes were twinkling almost dangerously. She looked tall and athletic, like she did track or something.

And that's when she opened her mouth.

It ruined everything. I mean yeah, her voice was absolutely mesmerizing and I wanted to lose myself in it, but the conversation we had three years ago on the first day of freshman year are still burned into my mind.

"How about you shut your mouth, blink a couple times, and stop staring at me like I'm your toy or something."

Of course, those words were a blow to my ego, and there was only one option: defense.

"Someone's touchy, hmm?"

Annabeth glared at me. "Please, don't even try and flirt with me. I don't want to make breaking your heart any harder than it could be."

She. Did. Not. Freaking. Diss. Me.

"Look, chick," I snapped. "I was looking at you, sure. Is that a crime? I wasn't sexually harassing you, or raping you, or even talking to you. So what's your deal?"

She rolled her eyes. "First of all, you were mentally raping me. Not so good. And second off, you're my deal. I didn't move from California to have some creeper sophomore check me out."

I laughed. "You think I'm a sophomore, babe?"

"Don't call me babe," she snarled.

"Whatever. I'm a freshmen."

She smacked her forehead. "Great! Now there's a possibility I'll have a class with you and I'll have to see your hideous face and hear your annoying voice every single freaking day for the whole year!"

I grinned. "You so wish."

"Whatever. What's your name?"

I was surprised into answering. "Percy Jackson."

"I'm Annabeth Chase. Let's stay out of each other's way, okay?" With that she stomped off to lunch.

So that's how we started. Sophomore year we became civil and somewhat acquaintances. Junior year we became friends. And I actually started to like Annabeth. Like, love her. Which is bad, because I have a girlfriend. But I don't cheat. I might mentally rape girls, but I don't cheat. And I don't dump girls either.

She's dating my buddy Luke here. So basically I've been friend zoned.

"Hey, Luke, Percy," she says as we towel off. "Swimming?"

I hate her so much for wearing those stupidly adorable shorts and a simple grey top that match her eyes. "No, we're doing cartwheels," I mutter while Annabeth gives Luke a hug. He bends down and kisses her, and I look away. I really like Luke, because he's cool and honest. I hate myself for loving my best friend's girlfriend.

But it's times like now where I'm so tempted to grab her in my arms and kiss her like Luke is.

After a moment I cough pointedly, and they break apart. Annabeth's face is a bright red, and she keeps her eyes on the pool. We slip on shirts and exchange a bro-glance, which is when you have a secret conversation. Girls think only they do it, but we guys do it too.

"I'll give your trunks back later," Luke says, looking wistfully at Annabeth, who's now sitting at the pool's edge with her feet dangling in.

I hoisted my backpack over my shoulder, draping my towel over my neck. "Sure, bro. Have fun," I add in a lower voice, and Luke grins.

"Sure."

As soon as I leave, the blistering heat of the sun hits me. My wet hair is dried in the fifteen minute walk home.

Once I'm in my air-conditioned apartment, I dial my girlfriend's number and wait for her to pick up. "Hello?"

"Hey, Rachel, wanna come over? I'm bored and hot as hell."

"Sure, I'll be over in a minute." Rachel hangs up, and I lay on my bed, pining for Annabeth's love. Ugh, that sounds so gross. But I guess love is gross. That's a new one.

"Hey, baby," Rachel says, walking into my room and sitting next to me on the bed. "You need to lock your door. Neighbors might break in," she says with a wink."

I smile. "You're the only one I need to worry about. Mrs. Jenkins won't be a problem."

She smiles and moves forward. Automatically, we both tilt our heads inward so our lips are barely brushing. "Okay?" she asks, still smiling.

I answer her by pressing my lips against hers. I feel bad for Rachel, because in a way I'm using her to ease my pains.

She seems to taste my anguish and kisses me harder, her fingers tangling into my hair. "What's wrong?" she breathes against my lips and I just shake my head slightly.

"Nothing. It's just so hot."

She pulls back and laughs. "You're upset because it's hot?"

I shrug. "The heat sucks out my badassness."

She laughs again, louder this time. Her bright red hair shines in the sunlight. "I think your badassness is still here. You kiss like a badass, anyways." Seeming to want more, she leaned in and pressed her mouth against mine.

Our lips move together softly. The way Rachel and I are together is perfect. I lied about the heat taking away my badassness: it really is Rachel. She calms me down so I'm almost a normal person again.

"I love you," I whisper, and I mean it. But I also love someone else, which hurts me. Why can't I just let Annabeth go?

I have one year to tell her how I feel. Otherwise I would forever hold my peace. I'm smart enough to get into the same college as her. Unless we got together, there's little chance of meeting Annabeth again after high school.

I can't let her go.

Rachel sighs and draws back again. "I love you too, Percy. I love you too."

I love Annabeth. I love Rachel. Annabeth loves Luke. Rachel loves me. If I was smart, I'd just love Rachel and forget about Annabeth. But, since my heart won't cooperate, because it's its own thing, I can't.

What's a guy to do?


	2. Chapter 2

There's always that one person you have to act like a complete son of a bitch to. There's no actual good reason to act like that, but you have to. We all know there is. And for me, that one person's name is Kronos, which makes my boring name seem like such a badass name. Like, who the hell names their kid Kronos? Thankfully, not my mom.

Anyways, this Kronos dude and I are like mortal enemies. He's also on the school swim team. It's like he stops the clock and just goes WHOOSH and bam, he's like three freaking seconds ahead of everyone. Like, what the hell dude you were five feet behind me a second ago, and now you're done? No. Just no.

So it shouldn't be a surprise when I run into him at the pool. "Percy," he says, nodding coldly, his dark gold eyes reminding me of Edward's eyes.

WHOA. Whatduhfreak? I suppose having a twihard (is that right?) as a girlfriend is going to rub off on you. I mentally slap myself for the last few references and nod back and say in an equally cold tone, "Kronos."

Imagine that. At least my name sounds all badass coming from him. Unlike his name, which makes me sound like a total idiot. Maybe his parents were onto something.

"So, you wanna practice?" he asks, his eyes flickering to the pool.

I shrug. What he really means is "Wanna race and watch me whoop your ass for the thousandth time this summer?"

"You're too chicken to be in the same pool as me?"

"No, I'm scared I'm going to contract another disease." Immediately, the phrase Beiber Fever runs through my mind, and I almost groan.

Stupid...obsessed...girlfriend.

I shake off the thought and contine. "Last time we swam in the same pool I almost died. You should get yourself checked."

"So that's why you were gone for a week last year?" Kronos asks, eyebrows raised.

Stupid guy with a stupid name. "Yeah," I say, grinning. The real reason was because I was suspended from school. I "accidentally" pushed a girl on the swim team into the pool. Sure, it was possible she'd been standing to close, lost her balance, and fallen in. But there were witnesses.

One of them being the jackass Kronos. But he doesn't know that.

My phone blares out its ringtone, and I answer. "Hey."

"Pool party at Luke's place. You're invited. Be here in five minutes or get ready for endless hell."

I groan out loud. "Nico, can you go one day without threatening me to eternal hell?"

"Four minutes." My cousin hangs up, and I roll my eyes. I slip my phone back into my backpack.

Without saying anything to vampire-eyes, I walk out and get a taxi to Luke's place. Luckily I have my swim trunks on, because as soon as I walk to the backyard, Nico and Luke grab me and throw me into the deep end.

"It's been fifteen minutes," Nico cackles as I pop up.

"I can't make taxis appear out of nowhere," I mutter, and that's when I realize the lack of people over for a pool party. Luke's one of the most popular people in our senior class. Why are there just a handful of people...

And why do I know them all?

I glare at Nico, who holds up his hands. "Not my idea. Wish it had been mine." An evil grin spreads across his face.

"What?" I ask just as wet hands cover my eyes.

"Guess who?" A familiar voice asks, and I almost jump out of the water.

"Rachel?"

"Yep!" I turn around, smiling. Rachel's frizzy hair is straightened by the water, sticking to her face. She's in a black bikini. "Hey."

"What, I don't get any hello?"

I look up and see Thalia, Nico's girlfriend, grinning down at me. She's in a black bikini with silver markings. And next to her- oh god- is Annabeth, wearing a simple grey bikini. "Hi guys," I say after a minute, averting my eyes to Rachel.

And that's when the pieces fall into place.

I almost choke. I give Nico a meaningful glare that reads "you set us up to swim with each other's girlfriends?" He nods, and I roll my eyes.

"The rest of you guys coming in?" Rachel asks while Nico and I exchange looks.

In answer, Thalia jumps in, Luke right behind her. Annabeth hops in gracefully, very little water splashing. Nico grins at me before jumping in inches away from me.

Rachel squeaks as she's soaked with water. I grin and kiss her cheek playfully before splashing her with more water. She gives me a murderous look, her green eyes flashing, before we get into a serious water fight, complete with screams and yells.

Thalia joins us, and eventually we're all trying to drown each other with no success. We climb out of the pool and towel off, the girls wrapping their towels around themselves while us boys ditch them by the poolside.

"So now what?" I ask as we all sit in a circle on Luke's patio. Luke is one of those few people who actually lives in a house. It's kind of far from school, but it's worth it.

"Spin the bottle," Nico says, pulling out a full bottle of pop. "Mashed with truth or dare."

"Bottle's full," Thalia points out, and Nico pops the top open.

"That's why there're cups," Nico says, nodding to the stack a cups behind me. "Percy, if you could pass those."

I grin. "I could, but why should I."

Nico sighs. "Because family helps each other out. Hand over the cups."

I pass out the cups to everyone except for Nico, who is diagonally across the circle from me. "Oh, it's on," Nico mutters as Annabeth swipes the bottle and passes it around.

When the bottle's empty (with Nico having a cup), we start to spin it. The catch is that not a single person is sitting across from their girlfriend/boyfriend. So, buckets I awkward all around.

When the bottle points between myself and Annabeth, we both blush. "Truth or dare?" Nico asks.

"Dare," we say at the same time. I intentionally keep my eyes off of Luke.

"I dare you to go play Seven Minutes of Heaven in Luke's closet," Nico says, grinning evilly. He did not just do that.

Maybe Nico should be the target of my son-of-bitchness. Kronos is seeming like a saint at this point. "Fine," I say, trying to seem chill about it, when inside I'm flipping out. I don't want to do this. I'm dying to do this. I grit my teeth and go inside, Annabeth following me in silence, Nico grinning.

We go into the closet, and Nico shuts the door. "I'm going to lock you guys in," he says, and we hear the click. "Seven minutes," he cackles before leaving.

It's pitch black in the closet. It takes a few seconds for my eyes to adjust enough so that the light coming under the door is enough. "This is really weird," I hear Annabeth whisper, and I chuckle.

"You don't say."

"If this is Heaven, God sure is awkward."

I laugh, but the sound is nervous. I almost slap myself, but I remain more or less calm.

"Percy, do you just want to do this? Just forget who we are and who we're dating for a few minutes?"

I stiffen. Annabeth wants to do this? By the sound of her voice, she wants it almost as badly as I do. I nod, and then remember she probably can't see that. "Yeah, forgetting would be good," I breathe, my stomach clenching.

We slowly move forward until our lips are finally touching. And let me tell you, it's even better than I imagined (yes I fantasize about kissing Annabeth. Big deal).

Her lips taste like chlorine from the pool, soft and warm against mine. I kiss her hungrily, and somewhere in the back of my mind a little voice is screaming, "You idiot! You're going to screw up your entire life! What the hell do you think you're doing?"

But I shove it out of the way. My hands are on her face, her fingers in my hair. We're locked in place, kissing like there's no tomorrow.

Let's organize the pros of kissing Annabeth into a list:

1) it's dark, and we're forgetting who we are. I don't even remember my name anymore.

2) She's wearing a freaking bikini. I'm not wearing a shirt. Recipe for trouble? Definitely.

3) IT'S FREAKING ANNABETH CHASE!

I brush my tongue along her lip, and she moans softly. Whoa, Annabeth, moaning? Not real. But this isn't Annabeth, and I'm not... whoever I am. But I can see why Luke loves kissing her so much. Unconsciously, both of our hands start moving around. Dangerous...

Seven minutes is up to quickly.

Nico knocks on the door, and we jump apart. "Yes?" Annabeth calls in a strangled voice.

"Seven minutes is up. Get your butts out here." We wait until his footsteps recede to open the door.

"Your hair..." Annabeth whispers.

"Damn it," I mutter, looking in Luke's mirror on the back of his door. My hair is sticking up everywhere. I manage to smooth out most of it before I realize how useless it is. The two of us are bright red. "Forget it."

"We're so toast."

We walk out silently, the tension in the air tangible. "What's gone on since we were gone?" I ask, sitting next to Rachel, ignoring her accusing look.

"Luke made out with Thalia, and Rachel and I kissed," Nico reports. "What did you two do?" he asks, grinning.

"We had a competition to see who could fit more of Luke's clothes on. I won," Annabeth says, sounding smug, glancing at me. Relief floods through me. It was like the last seven minutes didn't happen.

But damn, those were the best seven minutes of my life.

* * *

**A/N Oh. My. God. **

**I love you guys. **

**Like, OMG (I know I already said that but still... omg). One day and what, a bunch of follows and favorites? You guys warm my little heart. awww that was so corny! **

**Thanks to those of you who reviewed. For those of you who didn't, pretty, pretty please? *bambi eyes* It takes only a second, and the button is right there...(;**

**I hope you liked this chapter! PERCABETH!**

**~Ash**


	3. Chapter 3

**A/N Yeesh, high school is brutal...**

**That's my poor excuse for being gone, and I'll be gone for much more, by the way. Short chapters to be expected. K? K.**

**-IASN**

* * *

I have a disease called being human. It's uncurable, incredibly frustrating, and highly contagious. Practically everyone I know seems to be infected with it.

Except for Nico's cousin, Calypso. I guess that would make her my... nope, we're not related.

Calypso is this sweet, magical little fourteen year old with caramel colored hair and rich eyes who always smells like cinnamon. She's a petite little thing and seems to have no flaws whatsoever. Which is totally not fair because my name in itself is a major flaw. "Percy" reminds me of the green train from Thomas the Tank Engine. Oh my god, and I have green eyes...

I'M LIKE A FREAKY TALKING TRAIN WITH A FACE!

Back to Calypso.

She looks her age, but she also has that timeless sort of feel about her, like she could have been alive forever and had way more life experiences than you, even though she's physically younger. So basically, this little freshmen makes me feel like I'm two again.

About a week after the pool party, my life is as follows:

1) Not on speaking terms with girlfriend (sorry, ex-girlfriend). Bad.

2) Not on speaking terms with Annabeth. Very bad.

3) Not on speaking terms with Luke. Also very bad.

4) Nico won't freaking shut up about the whole damn thing. Living hell.

5) Thalia is almost as bad as her boyfriend, always giving me these knowing looks. Halfway-hell

Life seemed to realize it had given me just a tad bit to many lemons at once and finally gave me something good. Like cinnamon.

That's right: I ran into Calypso at the pool.

My life seems to be centered around swimming, since anything exciting in my life happens in a pool, by a pool, or near a pool. Just some food for thought about my super amazing life for ya.

I'm finishing up my hundredth lap when I see a pair of legs in the pool at the end of my lane.

I pop up a little before the wall and look up at Calypso. "Oh, hey Calypso."

"Hey, Percy," she greets, smiling slightly. Her brown hair is in a simple braid on the side, flowing over her blue top. Her white shorts are perfectly clean, a skill I have yet to attain. Hell, might as well admit I can't keep any of my clothes clean. It's just a part of being a guy. I guess.

"Why're you here?"

"It's really, really hot outside, and I figured I'd take advantage of the school's lovely facilities," she says with a grin. "It's quite nice."

"Yeah," I answer, popping out next to her, toweling off before wrapping it around my neck. "Cool."

"So why's Nico always grinning? What's he done this time?" she asks in a tone that tells me she knows exactly what happened.

"You're lovely cousin has just ruined my relationship. Yay," I mutter, glaring down at the water.

"I think he's just trying to show you what he sees," Calypso says. "I mean, what if he thinks you don't belong with Rachel?"

I feel my eyes widen but I keep my gaze fixed on the pool. "I can't imagine that."

"I think you can."

My head snaps up and I raise an eyebrow. "What?"

"Didn't you enjoy it?"

I sigh, not wanting to think about kissing Annabeth any more than I want to think about breaking up with Rachel. Life just sort of sucks all around.

"What about Luke and Annabeth?"

"I think I'm in a nice little third-wheel position. Luke and Annabeth love each other, are meant for each other, and then there's me," I murmur, frowning. How poetic of me. Gosh, Shakespeare summer assignments are making me read way into everything.

"I heard Luke and Annabeth got into this huge argument, including a few things about how you were a horrible friend."

Both my eyebrows go up. "A horrible friend?"

"Well, the actual word is offensive," Calypso whispers, and I nod to myself. Basically, I'm the worst best friend in the world, along with being the biggest son-of-a-bitch/bastard in the history of sons-of-bitches/bastards.

"I'm sorry Percy."

"It's all good."

"No, it's not. But I hope it gets better." Calypso checks her phone and gives me an apologetic look.

"Go on. You gotta go, you gotta go."

"Thanks. See you next week."

"School," I spit distastefully, and Calypso laughs before running out.

I remove the towel and slide back into the water, feeling a little more centered and relaxed once enveloped in my watery second home. I sank to the bottom and sighed, watching the stream of bubbles jet past my eyes. "Poor me," I mutter under my breath before climbing out of the pool.

I'm not sure if I should call Annabeth or what. Obviously she's still with Luke, even though they're in a fight.

A fight over me. Dang... I am a bastard.

"Yo!"

I look up to see my bestest friend for never Kronos walking into the gym, eyeing me. "Wassupwiththiswholethingwith Luke?" he asks, the words blurring together.

It takes a few seconds for my brain to process the sentence. "Just a game. I don't know why he's taking it do seriously. Anyway, how did you hear about this?"

Kronos grins evilly. "Luke and Annabeth get into pretty insane arguments. The entire smoothie shop was silent."

I freeze. "So everyone knows," I breathe, horror rising in my bitchy test. As Victor King would say, I'm a beach. Except a guy. So like, a custard? Like, I'd taste good? Eew, don't answer that. Please. "Shit."

"That's right. You're officially known as the biggest asshole in the senior class. Great for you!"

"Shut the fuck up." I'm on my feet, glaring at him, my hands curling into fists. "Take that back."

He just smirks, and I decide my actions are totally worth being suspended, possibly expelled, from Goode High. At least expulsion would mean a new school and new people I don't know who won't label me as the world's hugest ass.

I take a swing, and I'm surprised when it actually connects with his face. Like damn, do you have any sort of defense skills? He just took it in his stride or something stupid like that.

"Come at me, bro."

I glare at him. For several reasons, I wasn't punching the shit out of this douche:

1) I didn't really want to touch him

2) I didn't think he really deserved it

3) HE JUST SAID COME AT ME BRO. WHAT IF, after I touch him, I START SAYING THAT?!

So, yeah, I'm not touching him. Now way in hell-

"I think Annabeth's petty smoking. I don't blame you."

A few seconds later Kronos is flailing in the pool, clothes and all. Ha, loser. I snag my stuff and walk home, fuming.

Damn, life, what the hell is up with all these fucking lemons?

My phone buzzes, and I check it. A text from Rachel:

We are never, ever, EVER getting back together.

Fantasy: Well, isn't that dandy. I always wanted to hear (over a text) that I will never get back together with my ex. I love this sort of news.

Reality: OH HELL NO.

Damn life. Damn life, damn life, and damn freaking cookies for being so damn delicious. Damn them.

I mull over what Calypso said about maybe rethinking who I should be with, and I grimace. I definitely love Annabeth. So much.

And Rachel and I were over, anyways.

Suddenly, a knock interrupts my oh-so-important thought process. Reluctantly, I get off my couch and open the door, assuming it's my mom, who could've forgotten her key.

Instead, there's Annabeh, tears streaking down her face at a phenomenal rate. They were just pouring out of her grey cloud eyes.

I'm so dang poetic. I should consider writing as a way to go.

"Percy, I'm so sorry," she whispers, and I recoil in shock. "I didn't really mean for all this to get out of hand."

"That's okay," I forced out, unable to take the shock out of my voice. "It's really okay."

She shook her head violently and stormed past me into my apartment. "I don't care if it's okay. I have to explain."

Oh-kay? Was she PMSing or something? I remembered she had a big fight with Luke, but Annabeth couldn't be pushed to this limit. She was... Annabeth. Always reliably calm, cool and collected.

Except not now. Not in this new, twisted, chaotic life that was practically showering us in lemons. I'd be drinking lemonade for the rest of my damn life.

"I need to explain something," she repeats, staring down at the floor from her seat on the couch.

"I'm listening."

She raises her face to me, the light reflecting off her eyes in a way that looked like lightning sparking against a backdrop of storm clouds.

Damn... I should really think of poetry. I'm moving myself to tears.

Annabeth sighs. "Percy, Luke and I aren't together."

I literally take a step back. It feels like she just chucked a big, thousand pound Kronos right on my chest.

I sit down on the chair across from her when I realize I'm swaying. I can barely breathe. "Why?"

"Because, I realized-"


	4. Chapter 4

A/N yay for long weekends! Enjoy this, because after this I, Ash, am probably not going to update in a firetrucking long time due to this stupid thing called "Homework."

Kudos to those of you who are obviously awesome for reviewing. I love you. You have no idea how happy I am. I've been smiling like an idiot for the past few days.

Super kudos to imbetterthanyou238 and Troober for catching my little infatuation(:

* * *

Just to catch you up to speed, we've just ended where Annabeth is about to confess her undying love to me in the safety of my living room. Maybe life's worth the lemons.

"Because, I realized I don't need a relationship," she whispers, her eyes back down on the carpet.

DAMN LIFE AND ITS LEMONS.

I blink a couple of times and try to swallow unsuccessfully. I was expecting Annabeth to say something more along the lines of "I realized I can't live without you."

Instead, I get freaking friend-zoned. GODDAMMIT.

"I just need a friend," Annabeth says, a little bit louder this time. Her eyes are on me now, and we just sit, staring into each others eyes.

I give no indication of having even heard her, but she nods, satisfied. "I knew I could count on you."

I am going to die a virgin, I swear.

Because I'm never gonna love anyone as much as I love Annabeth. And I know I'm never going to get her.

Cue the spotlight and depressing violin music, please. I need to wallow in self pity for the next eternity or so.

I clear my throat, ignoring the hard knot that used to be my stomach. "Yeah."

Annabeth stands, and I rise at the same time. She holds out her arms, and I robotically walk into them. "Thanks," she breathes into my ear, and then she's gone.

I feel numb. This is probably the worst thing in the world. Every single ounce of badassness in the world, including all the badassness that was never in my name, was sucked out of me and injected into the rest of the world when Annabeth rejected me.

I can already see my future, on the streets, with a hat and maybe a box, just asking everyone if they've seen Annabeth Chase, the one love of my life.

I fall back onto the couch, sighing. I realize that because Annabeth and I are friends now, I'll get more time to spend with her. And she'd want to go to dances with a friend, right? And study, go out for coffee, hang out... There are endless pros to this outcome. This could be good

Except that there was the one con that outweighs them all.

I grimace at the expression on my face, reflected back to me from the mirror across the wall. I look like someone slapped me and then stepped on me. Fun times.

Slowly, I make my way to my room and lie down, not really having any energy to do anything. Lazy boy strikes back. Yippee.

I hear a key turning in the lock and I sit up, not wanting to have to explain to my mom my apathetic nature. I quickly organize myself, throwing on a t-shirt and shorts before going out to greet my mom.

Sally smiles at me, her brown eyes twinkling. The aroma of chocolate swirls around us as she wraps her arms around me. "Ah, Percy."

"You smell like chocolate," I say, bending down and sniffing her shoulder.

She laughs. "Sale on all chocolates today. And I brought my favorite man a bag!"

"Paul's still at school, preparing to torture us next week," I tease, swiping the bag from her hand and popping a sweet into my mouth. "Mmm."

"You're lucky you have him as a teacher and a stepdad," she chides, shooting me a look. "He'll help you with your English."

I feign a hurt expression. "I do NOT need help with my English. Just because I'm disabled in words don't mean I need help from no English teacher."

My mom laughs at my phony grammar and walks off to her room to change out of her perky uniform. I watch her go and sigh.

Maybe my mom took my portion of love. After all, there's my mystery Greek dad AND Paul. She must have dumped all the forever-alone-ness onto me, not wanting it to be on her.

I honestly can't blame her. Even though, I do wonder how my sensible mother ended up screwing some random stranger at a bar.

The world may never know.

Muttering about how much I hate life, I go into the kitchen to hear a faint humming noise. Someone's talking in the apartment next to us. I ignore it, starting to get some plates until, some of the words become distinguishable. Curious, I press my ear against the wall.

"Like, oh my god, I really, really miss him. He was the best thing that happened to me, and I just let him go because of some stupid game. How could I be such an idiot?"

There's a pause before the all-too-familiar voice bursts out, "I don't know, Zoë. I can't figure anything out."

I recoil from the wall and grimace. Well, Rachel missed me. I frown at the plate in my hand, thinking that over. She must regret breaking up with me, although I didn't particularly regret it until fifteen minutes ago, when I was friend-zoned.

"Examining the dishes? Don't worry, I cleaned them myself. Never let Paul do the dishes," my mom says, smiling as she pulls some ingredients to start dinner.

"Well, it passed," I say, forgetting to add life to my voice. I set the dish down. "Call me when dinner's ready?"

My mom catches my wrist, and I mentally kick myself. "Percy, what's up?"

"The sky. The ceiling. The unemployment rate."

"Perseus," Sally snaps. I can feel her glare on the back of my neck. "Tell me."

I hate when she uses my first name. It makes my name sound nerdier than it already is. I sigh in defeat. "I kissed-"

Just then Paul's key turns in the lock and he opens the door. "Hi, Percy, Sally," he says, nodding to us since his hands were full of briefcases and folders.

"I'll be in my room," I mutter, wrenching my hand from Sally's grasp and escaping the encounter. Thank God, I thought she was going to drill me.

I slip into my room just as my phone lights up on my bed. I sit down and look at it. "Text from Rachel," I read aloud and check the message.

Hey Percy. I'm really, really sorry for being so mad and overreactive. I don't know what went into me. I mean, it was just a game, right? It's not like I didn't kiss anyone either. So, yeah, I'm sorry. Forgive me? Maybe we can be friends again. Breaking up with you was the stupidest thing I ever did. Text me back. Love, Rachel.

I do her one better. I dial her number.

She picks up after a few rings. "Percy?" she whispers, sounding fearful. Then I realized she probably thought I hated her.

"Hi, Rach."

"Oh, Percy, I'm so sorry. I didn't know what I was doing an especially when I heard Annabeth had broken up with Luke I thought maybe you two had gotten together and I wasn't sure if you were trying to get back at me but I realized I'd just lost-"

"Rachel, it's totally okay."

"Percy, I really don't know what to say."

You sure did a minute ago. "I'm sorry about everything. I didn't think about you, which was selfish of me. But I think I need a break." I suddenly realize why Annabeth broke up with Luke. Too much to handle. Also, school was starting soon... And even though I've been offered multiple scholarships to prestigious schools, I still want to get the grades so it doesn't look like I'm a complete idiot who just knows how to swim. "I can't handle a relationship right now. With school coming up next week... Senior year means a lot."

"Yeah. Thanks, Percy."

"No problem," I say smoothly. I realize a weight I didn't know that was on my chest is gone. Poof. Maybe that thousand pound Kronos is gone.

There's a pause on her end. "We can still be friends...right?" she asks hesitantly, unsure as to what I will say.

I smile even though she can't see me. "Yeah, we sure can." I pause. "Want to go out for some coffee at seven?"

"Sure," Rachel says, and I can already hear her bustling around, preparing.

I remember that Annabeth's my official friend now and add, "I hope you don't mind, but I think Annabeth needs some friends right now."

I can practically hear Rachel nodding. "That's fine. I bet she feels as awful as the rest of us."

And then some.

"Great. Meet you at the coffee shop at seven," I say, smiling.

"See ya."

I hang up and dial Annabeth's number. "Hello?"

"Hey, wanna come join me and Rachel over at the coffee shop? Strictly friends only," I assure her, knowing she'd never come if Rachel and I were dating.

"Um, what time?"

"Seven?"

"Sounds good to me. The one around the block from Goode?"

"Yeah, that one. See you."

"Yep."

I snap my phone shut just as Sally calls, "Percy! Paul! Dinner's ready!"

I walk out, feeling utterly optimistic about my life. It's seriously been some crazy up-down, but right now it seems to be pretty darn calm.

I join Paul at the table just as my mom is setting down a platter of lasagna onto the table. I raise an eyebrow, and she shrugs.

"The market sells precooked food," she says in way of explanation.

"Smells homemade," Paul says, inhaling the rich smells of lasagna. "I bet it tastes homemade too."

"Let's find out," I say, putting a slice onto my plate and digging in. "Mom, buy more precooked food," I moan as I take another huge bite.

She laughs and wipes my chin with a napkin. "I'm glad to hear you enjoy my store-boughts."

"Seriously, Sally. Please," Paul says, looking just as in heaven as I probably do.

The rest of the meal is spent in compliments to the market, indirectly complimenting my mom for her choice in food. Since we're not allowed to cuss in the house, here's what my thoughts were:

GOD DAMN THIS IS FREAKING DELICIOUS. SO MUCH BETTER THAN THE SHITTY CAFETERIA LUNCHES. SMD CAFETERIA BITCHES!

Yeah, it's so good I'm hating on the lunch ladies.

After dinner I grab my keys and drive over to the coffee shop, not really in the mood for a stroll in the dark. I made that mistake one time before, and I almost got killed. Well, alright, it was a group of druggies who thought I was a girl trying to hook up with me. I barely escaped with my life!

Yeah right. Just kidding, I'm not that stupid.

I arrive at the coffee shop and viola! There's my two best friends sitting at a table, sipping coffee, just enjoying each other's presence.

Yeah right.

It's fucking empty.

I order something and sit at a booth by myself. To keep from looking too much like a loner, I pull my phone out and text Annabeth and Rachel. Surely the two hour notice I gave them was enough time for them to get ready. I mean, Annabeth doesn't wear make up, and Rachel barely wears anything.

And it was like our reunion! If I was a girl, I'd fuck make up. Not really, because that's just nasty... ugh now I'm thinking of how my dad did my mom and then... Eew...

Ten minutes later, Rachel shows up. Her usually frizzy red hair has been straightened so that it hangs as straight as curtains around her face. "Hey Rachel," I say, waving.

Rachel smiles at me, her bright red lips stretching. Her hip is cocked out as she leans against the counter, her shorts just long enough to cover everything up.

Wait... bright red? What's up with that? Rachel never wore any of that stuff. She always said it "felt like shit on your face".

She orders a drink and comes to joins me, sitting across from me. "Hey, Percy," she says, revealing her pearly white teeth in a smile. "Thanks for being so cool about it."

I realize her plain white shirt is way too low, so low that I can see the tops of her red bra over the top. "Whoa," I whisper, frowning. "What's that you're wearing?"

"A t-shirt my cousin made for me. She's a designer. She wanted me to try out her clothes. She literally stuffed me into an outfit, did my make up and hair and force me into a photo shoot. I feel like such a slut. I came as fast as I could, I'm so sorry for being late." Rachel smears her lipstick off with a napkin and takes a sip of coffee. "No time to change."

I grin. "No problem. You look good."

She flushes the same color as her hair when Annabeth walks in. Her hair has been hastily pulled up into a pony tail, her white top wrinkled. She spots us and walks over, taking a seat beside Rachel.

"Sorry, I fell asleep," Annabeth murmurs with a sheepish smile. She notes our coffees and sighs. "I'm gonna go get something," she says before scooting out and going to the counter.

I won't bore you with details, because in actuality, nothing really happened. So here's the overview of my evening:

After a billion years of awkward silence, Annabeth starts to warm up. She and Rachel get into this super boring conversation about some sort of movie. I sort of zone out and go into my own little world filled with unicorns and rainbows until Rachel calls me back to reality.

"I have to go now," she says, checking her watch. "You guys catch up. See you Monday for orientation!"

With that she gets up and leaves. I have to admit I was a little bit distracted by the way she was dressed. Just a teensy, tiny bit.

But enough to get Annabeth's attention.

She slaps the table, and I jump, my gaze fixed back onto her. "Um, hi."

"You're such a perv. I bet you check out every girl that walks past."

"I didn't check out the coffee lady. But now that you mention it, I might," I say, just to piss her off.

It works. A little too well.

"I can't believe I ever kissed a perverted guy like you. And after you checked me out that day in freshmen year!" she hisses, glaring at me. Her hair is starting to fall out of her pony tail, adding to the frazzled look.

"Whoa whoa whoa whoa whoa. I wasn't checking you out!" I defend. I'm lying left and right.

"Sure." There was a smirk on her face. How did Luke stand her?

"I wish Rachel was back," I mutter, glaring down at my empty coffee cup.

"Why, so you could ogle at her again?"

"You are so annoying!"

"Don't mention it."

We glare at each other.

"This is freshmen year all over again," I say to my coffee cup.

"Good thing I won't ever have to see you after this year."

Ouch.

I can't quite mask the hurt, and she sees it. In a softer tone, she says, "Look, I'm sorry. I'm just really trying to stay away from any sort of relationship, and I suppose arguing would be the best way."

I sigh. "Yeah. I'm sorry too. I wish I'd never gone to that stupid pool party."

"Same. It wasn't anything good."

We decide to part ways. In my car, I mutter a bunch of curses to Nico under my breath. For those of you who are wondering, here's what I said:

Damn you Nico you motherfucking bastard you screwed up my entire life you're in deep shit, you son of a bitch. I can't believe I have to be related to you, fucking damn shit bitchy bastard.

Yeah, it was a nice monologue.


End file.
